Fortified Wines Research Articles

Garnacha Tintorera-based sweet wines: Detailed phenolic composition by HPLC/DAD–ESI/MS analysis

Sweet wines are traditionally elaborated in Galicia (the N.W. corner of Spain). The denomination of origin (DO) Valdeorras, one of the five DOs in Galicia, wants to promote the production and marketing of new sweets wines. The first one is made with dried red grapes Vitis vinifera L. Garnacha Tintorera (GNSW); this cultivar is a teinturier cultivar which has excellent potential to produce wines from raisined grapes. The second one, a fortified sweet wine aged in oak barrels (GFSW). Additionally a dry young wine (GBW) was produced from the same variety. Their aroma profiles and chromatic characteristics (determined by simple spectrophotometric methods) have been previously established. Now, proanthocyanidins, flava-3-ol monomers, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavonols and resveratrol were determined by HPLC, for the same three wines. The highest concentration of total proanthocyanidins (PAs) was evaluated in the GBW (525mgL−1), which was about 2-fold the concentration in the GNSW (236mgL−1) and about more 10-fold the concentration in the GFSW (44mgL−1). No apparent difference in the aDP (mean degree of polymerisation) was observed for the GBW (1.9) and the GNSW (2.1), whereas a slightly lower value was obtained for the GFSW (1.5). Total anthocyanin concentration was described as follow as GBW: 390mgL−1≫GNSW: 57mgL−1>GFSW: 25mgL−1, which indicates that sweet wines were polymerised in great extent. Only vitisin A and B were found the main concentration in GFSW when compared to GBW by the ageing process. In sweet wines, phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids) and flavonols were lowest when compared to GBW and resveratrol not was found in sweet wines.

Sunlight exposure increases the phenolic content in postharvested white grapes. An evaluation of their antioxidant activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sunlight exposure is a traditional way to dry postharvested white Pedro Ximenez grapes, and the dried grapes are the basis of a sweet fortified wine elaborated in the South of Spain. In this paper, we have studied the effect of seven days of exposure of grapes to sunlight. The phenolic content in the skins and flesh has been determined. The transient induction of phenolics has been detected and identified in skins by HPLC and MS/MS. Maximum induction was after 2days exposure with an increase in the levels of quercetin-3-O-glucoside, engeletin (dihydrokaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside) and astilbin (taxifolin 3-O-rhamnoside). We have evaluated the antioxidant and protective effects of the phenolic extracts of these grapes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae after exposure to H2O2. Phenolic extracts reduced the basal intracellular level of peroxides in a concentration dependent manner. There was a corresponding significant reduction in carbonylated proteins in treated and control cells and increased survival of yeast cells exposed to H2O2. Our results indicate that sundried grapes display a high antioxidant capacity resulting in a decrease in the oxidative cellular environment.

Brazilian fortified wines: Chemical composition, chromatic properties and antioxidant activity

The phenolic compounds, minerals and higher alcohols content, carbon isotope ratio, colour and antioxidant activity were determined for samples of white and red fortified wines produced in Brazil, in the regions of the Planalto Catarinense, Serra Gaúcha and Carbonífera Region. The analysis was performed using spectrophotometry, colorimetry, high performance liquid chromatography, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, capillary zone electrophoresis, gas chromatography and isotopic ratio mass spectrometry. The results showed that white and red fortified wines produced in Brazil are active in the scavenging of DPPH and ABTS radicals and in iron reduction. The results for the antioxidant activity of samples of Brazilian fortified wines correlated significantly (p<0.05) with the content of total polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, tartaric esters, flavonols, total monomeric anthocyanins, total tannins, gallic acid, trans-resveratrol, catechin, caffeic acid, coumaric acid and ferulic acid. The analytical determinations combined with principal components analysis showed the separation of white and red fortified wine samples according to region of origin, with contributions from the variables antioxidant activity, tartaric esters, flavonols, non-polymerized polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, anthocyanins, tannins, total polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, gallic acid, potassium, ethanal, iron, cadmium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. The results obtained showed that fortified red wines produced in the Serra Gaucha show a high concentration of potassium, trans-resveratrol and phenolic compounds along with a high antioxidant activity, while the wines produced in the Planalto Catarinense are notable for their contents of caffeic acid, coumaric acid, cobalt, isoamyl alcohol and isobutanol and their relatively low carbon isotope ratio. White wines produced with the Goethe variety in the Carbonífera Region had low levels of phenolic compounds and minerals.

The Norwegian Alcohol Prohibition; A Failure

The Norwegian alcohol prohibition included fortified wine from 1917 to 1923 and liquor from 1917 to 1927. Attempts have been made, both by researchers and activists, to ‘rehabilitate’ the prohibition. These attempts are self-contradictory, given that the ban on alcohol was lifted. One central argument in the debate concerns foreign pressure: It is claimed that the ban could have lasted had the ‘wine countries’ (France, Spain, and Portugal) been willing to buy Norwegian fish even though Norway refused to import their alcohol. This question can obviously not be answered with any certainty. However, pressure from abroad was not the only difficulty that prompted the lifting of the ban. The article argues that the prohibition generated several ‘internal’ problems, like organized crime, black economy, ‘untraditional’ policing methods, and negligence of social issues other than alcohol consumption.

Polyphenols, antioxidant potential and color of fortified wines during accelerated ageing: the Madeira Wine case study.

Polyphenols, antioxidant potential and color of three types of fortified Madeira wines were evaluated during the accelerated ageing, named as estufagem. The traditional estufagem process was set to 45 °C for 3 months. Overheating conditions, 1 month at 70 °C, were also examined. Total polyphenols (TP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA) and total flavonoids (TF) were assessed by spectrophotometric methods, while individual polyphenols and furans were simultaneously determined by HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant potential (AP) was estimated by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays, while color was evaluated by Glories and CIELab. Traditional estufagem decreased the TP and AP up to 20% and 26%, respectively, with final values similar to other wines. TMA of the Madeira wines from red grapes decreased during estufagem. Six hydroxybenzoic acids, three hydroxycinnamic acids, one stilbene, three flavonols and three flavan-3-ols were found in these wines. The prominent phenolics were hydroxycinnamates and hydroxybenzoates, even after estufagem. Most polyphenols decreased, with the exception of caffeic, ferulic, p-coumaric, gallic and syringic acids. Finally, both chromatic systems revealed that all wines tended to similar chromatic characteristics after estufagem. The study suggests that estufagem can be applied without high impact on polyphenols and antioxidant potential of these fortified wines.

Garnacha Tintorera-based sweet wines: Chromatic properties and global phenolic composition by means of UV–Vis spectrophotometry

Valdeorras (the N.W. corner of Spain) wants to promote the production and marketing of new sweet wines. The present work represents the first study on sweet wines manufactured with red grapes Vitis vinifera L. Garnacha Tintorera, a teinturier cultivar. Two different red sweet wines were elaborated: the first one was made with dried grapes; Vitis vinifera L. Garnacha Tintorera has excellent potential to produce wines from raisined grapes; the second one, a fortified sweet wine aged in oak barrels. Different red Garnacha Tintorera-based wines (a dry base wine, GBW; a naturally sweet wine, GNSW; and a fortified sweet wine, GFSW) were characterized. Chromatic characteristics and phenolic compounds were established by spectrophotometric methods in order to assess the technology of Garnacha Tintorera-based sweet wines. High molecular weight brown polymers, produced during the grape drying process and isolated from sweet wines by the dialysis process, were responsible for the brown colour of sweet wines. As a consequence, yellowness of sweet wines was also higher which was confirmed by colorimetric indexes. With respect to phenolic content, GFSW presented the lowest content because the maceration-alcoholic fermentation was stopped through the addition of alcohol before the diffusion of red pigments from skins to must was complete. GNSW presented the highest phenolic content due to the concentration effect resulting from evaporation of water from the grapes. Anthocyanins of sweet wines were polymerised in great extent. The percentage of polymerised tannins was sufficient to guarantee the aging process of sweet wines.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): on the Role of Alcohol and Societal Factors.

Dear Editor, ADHD predicts future substance abuse/dependence (1). In the West, the earlier shift from behavioral to neurological emphasis concerning ADHD was revised (2), while Russian literature places neurophysiologic mechanisms into the foreground. ASD cases are often marked by symptoms consistent with ADHD (3). This letter continues the paper (4), where a case of child abuse was discussed. The following risk factors of child abuse (5), were present in that case: young age of the abusing stepfather, who was 15 years older than his victim (S), maltreatment history in the abuser’s past. An ethnic factor played a role: the abuser was of Jewish descent, while S used to stress his Russian ethnicity. Having a Jewish stepfather, who even worked for some time at his school, S was often treated by the social environment as a member of the ethnic minority. It was expressed by bullying, sometimes visibly inspired by elders including some teachers and other children’s relatives. The author does not intend to say that Jewish children were generally bullied at Soviet schools. Many of them were not, because they had been better prepared, did not deny their difference, and behaved adequately. On the contrary, S behaved ambitiously, involuntarily provoking his social environment. S himself participated in bullying children from ethnic minorities, which cannot be morally justified, but is psychologically explicable in this case. His role should be classified as bully-victim, reportedly more at risk of substance use than pure bullies or victims (6). Apart from occasional participation in parties at home and drinking up to a bottle of beer with a schoolmate, S had not used alcohol till the age of 13 years, when he consumed a 750 mL bottle of a Port imitation with an older boy. During the following year, his alcohol consumption increased up to 250 mL of vodka with beer or 750 mL of fortified wine at one session. An opportunity to stay away from the abusive atmosphere at home was provided by a company of schoolmates including older boys, who inspired alcohol purchase and consumption (7). However, S did not develop physical dependence and discontinued alcohol misuse later in life. Furthermore, at the age of about five years, S presented with communication deficits, failure to develop appropriate peer relationships, motor clumsiness, and other symptoms of ASD. Some AHDH symptoms were observed as well, inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, the latter being more prominent in a familiar environment. Appearance of the autistic symptoms coincided with the time when the socially unskilled child became a victim of bullying. On the author’s opinion, physical abuse is an undervalued cause of ASD, some ASD children probably are battered ADHD children or initially healthy ones. A child in the atmosphere of bullying cannot permit himself some ADHD manifestations described by the collective terms impulsivity and hyperactivity. Moreover, child abuse is associated with inadequate parenting (8), therefore, heritability of ASD can be caused not only by genetic but also by social factors. Children of deviant parents may be more exposed to maltreatment, as a result acquiring deviant features themselves.

Sensory Quality Control of Young vs. Aged Sweet Wines Obtained by the Techniques of Both Postharvest Natural Grape Dehydration and Fortification with Spirits During Vinification

Although grapes subjected to different sugar concentration methods are known to provide also different types of sweet wines, the exact influence of such methods on the sensory properties of the wines is largely unknown. The purpose of this work was to identify differences in sensory profile between young and aged wines obtained from grapes subjected to various sugar concentration techniques. Differences in sensory properties were judged by a panel of trained tasters. Young sweet wines were judged to have a sweeter balance and a dried fruit taste associated to higher global sensory attributes of odour and taste. Some differences in sensory fingerprint were due to their aging in oak barrels, which introduced flavour mainly based on attributes such as vanilla, phenolic, wood, and burnt wood tastes. There were also clear differences between sweet wines obtained by natural grape dehydration and others obtained by fortification with 96 % (v/v) ethanol fit for human consumption: naturally sweet wines were most appreciated than fortified sweet wines, since they were not only ranking higher in honey and dried fruit tastes, but also in overall colour and odour.

Powdered, Essence or Brewed?: Making and Cooking with Coffee in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s

Powdered, Essence or Brewed?: Making and Cooking with Coffee in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s

"Per Voi, Signore": Gendered Representations of Fashion, Food, and Fascism in Il Progresso Italo-Americano during the 1930s

IN APRIL OF 1935, Il Progresso Italo-Americano, the largest Italianlanguage newspaper in the United States, ran an advertisement for Florio brand marsala, an Italian fortified wine from Sicily. The advertisement featured an illustration of three incredulous looking men gawking at the body of a fashionable, but scantily clad, thin woman in lingerie. One of the men asked the lady, “At this age how do you conserve the beautiful complexion of a young girl?” The key to her girlish physique, the woman responded, is drinking eggnog every morning made with Florio’s marsala, “which nourishes me, without making me gain weight, and keeps my body slim and my spirit awakened.” This advertisement for an imported Italian food product, appearing in the Italian-language press, promoted a particular type of fashionand weight-conscious femininity valued in the U.S., yet reviled by fascists in Italy during the 1930s. These contradictory messages about womanhood and the consumption of food and fashion reveal how habits and identities changed as people and products moved back and forth across the ocean. That a figure no less than Benito Mussolini provided monetary support to immigrant papers like Il Progresso Italo-Americano, which included images of slender, consumerist women, while at the same time rejecting this American model for Italian women in Italy, demonstrates that Italian nationalists valued, yet sent mixed-messages to, Italian women consumers both at home and abroad. The disconnect between images of femininity and consumption in the Italian American commercial press and those in fascist Italy illustrates the peculiar position women held as symbols through which immigrants in the U.S. formed national and consumer identities during the 1930s. This article compares literature about, and advertisements for, fashionable clothing and food products—the most visible commodities represented and discussed in Il Progresso Italo-Americano’s women’s pages—to elucidate the paradoxical representations of women’s consumer and national identities in Italian American newspapers during the 1930s. By juxtaposing this

«Tør virkelig en læge vove at negte en patient kognak?!» - legenes reseptforskrivning i forbudstiden 1916 - 26

In Norway, all sales of distilled spirits were prohibited from 1916 to 1926 and fortified wine was also banned from 1917 to 1923, a period of history called The Prohibition. During this time, the doctors served as gatekeepers who regulated the population's access to alcohol, since a prescription was the only legal way of obtaining fortified wine and distilled spirits. Many have claimed that the doctors failed in this role and undermined Norwegian prohibition policy. KNOWLEDGE BASE: The article is based on a review of articles on the alcohol issue published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. Many doctors were of the opinion that alcohol had beneficial health effects, for prevention and alleviation as well as to provide a cure. Moreover, few doctors were temperance advocates and many of them were opposed to the prohibition, including the Director of Health. Over time, many doctors prescribed large amounts of spirits and fortified wine. However, there were few real whisky doctors. The medical community was strongly in favour of rationing, i.e. letting people acquire a certain amount of alcohol without any medical supervision, but this proposal never gained political acceptance. The doctors had a certain responsibility for this erosion of the prohibition, and thereby also for its final demise. The whisky doctors were a threat to the profession's reputation, and the most unscrupulous were excluded from the Norwegian Medical Association. The main responsibility for the situation with regard to prescriptions, however, fell on the health authorities and politicians, who delayed the introduction of effective regulations for far too long.

Determination of 24 Pesticide Residues in Fortified Wines by Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The present work describes a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method to quantify 24 pesticides in fortified white wine and fortified red wine. In this study "fortified wine" refers to a wine in which fermentation is arrested before completion by alcohol distillate addition, allowing sugar and alcoholic contents to be higher (around 80-100 g/L total sugars and 19-22% alcohol strength (v/v)). The analytical method showed good linearity, presenting correlation coefficients (R(2)) ≥ 0.989 for all compounds. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) in the ranges of 0.05-72.35 and 0.16-219.23 μg/L, respectively, were obtained. LOQs are below the maximum residue levels (MRL) set by European Regulation for grapes. The proposed method was applied to 17 commercial fortified wines. The analyzed pesticides were not detected in the wines tested.

Evolution of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (F) in fortified wines submitted to overheating conditions

As furfural (F) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are essentially formed from sugar dehydration, especially in food submitted to heat, they can be found in beverages, as well as fortified sweet wines. In order to assess the impact of temperature on Madeira winemaking, three traditional varieties of Madeira wines (Malvasia, Sercial and Tinta Negra Mole) were studied to evaluate the F and HMF contents. The wines were produced by two vinification processes, following traditional and modern methodologies, heated at standard conditions (30°C and 45°C, for 4months) and compared with the same wines submitted to overheating conditions (55°C, for 4months). The RP-HPLC-DAD methodology used for the control of F and HMF during the process showed no significant changes in the wines maintained at 30°C (canteiro) and a noticeable but controlled increase in the wines heated at 45°C (estufagem) where values up to about 150mg/L of HMF could be found in sweet wines. The strong relation of this compound with the sugar content and baking temperature stood out in the wines submitted to overheating conditions where values higher than 1g/L could be found for sweeter wines, with HMF level being in general higher than F.The results clearly suggest that the amount of HMF in these fortified wines can be easily controlled when submitted to adequate conditions of heating during estufagem and storage. Furthermore, different temperatures for the baking of sweet and dry wines may be considered.

Letter from Russia: Minimal Price for Vodka Established in Russia from 1 January 2010

Drinking in binges was typical for alcohol consumption in the former Soviet Union (Jukkala, 2008). This pattern is changing today, especially in large cities such as Moscow. Young people, who seem to have on average more free time today, drink usually one to three cans of beer during an evening but not a bottle of vodka for three or for two, and then often another one, with beer, as it used to be in the 1970–1980s. Fortified wine (containing 17–19% of alcohol by volume), mostly an imitation of Port (named Portwein), was also consumed at that time, while a 0.75-l bottle per person (or more) was a usual dose. The popularity of Port, Madeira, Vermouth and other fortified wine imitations was due to their low price; but the quality, apart from the cheapest varieties, was usually not too bad. Many of such imitations were obviously natural products manufactured more or less on the basis of original methods. It should be noted, however, that the quality of alcoholic beverages, even of the same denomination, has always been better in Moscow than outside the capital (except for wine-producing areas in the South). Gatherings with female participation often preferred wine—dry, sweet or sparkling—which was inexpensive and sometimes of good quality. Vodka prices remained stable for decades. Matters changed in 1985 with the start of the anti-alcohol campaign, when the vodka price doubled and quality of alcoholic beverages deteriorated. After the campaign, together with inflation and transition to the market economy, the prices and quality levels of alcoholic beverages diversified. New sorts appeared and disappeared, the sorts and labels correlated poorly, great part of vodka and other spirits being of low quality. New sorts were sometimes good in the beginning but later worsened. Well-known Soviet-time wine and Cognac sorts disappeared, changed their taste or …

Something Must Be Done!: But Is Moore Correct that Something Can Be Worse than Nothing in Alcohol Control Policy?

In the wonderful television series ‘Yes, Minister’, the buffoonish title character Jim Hacker advanced his policy responses to the crises of the day by shouting ‘Something must be done! This is something. Therefore we must do it’. In terms of alcohol-related problems, particularly in the UK, there is widespread agreement that ‘Something must be done’. Both the public and the newly elected coalition government are deeply concerned about alcohol's role in yobbism, auto accidents, family breakdown, and rising health care costs, amongst other problems. Many UK public health advocates believe the way forward is minimum pricing of alcohol, a proposal which very nearly passed the Scottish parliament in June 2010. Into these works comes a spanner lobbed by Dr Moore (this issue, Moore, 2010). Moore argues that alcohol-specific control policy has substantial potential to inflict more rather than less damage on society because heavy drinkers may respond by increasing consumption of other more dangerous intoxicating substances, or by switching to other forms of alcohol that are cheaper but more dangerous (e.g. from beer to fortified wine, high-strength spirits, or moonshine). In this commentary, I agree with several of Moore's central insights but question his more general pessimistic stance towards alcohol-specific control policies. To begin with points of agreement, Moore and I are both impressed by the scientific literature establishing that policy-makers can usually put downward pressure on the level of alcohol consumption in a society by increasing price (Cook, 2007). I admire Moore's unwillingness to simply end the argument at that point a la Jim Hacker, and instead raise the question of whether there might be unintended and unappreciated consequences to such policies. He quite rightly notes that there are many intoxicants available other than alcohol, and that some drinkers use these substances as complements (something that accentuates the desired …

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with solid phase microextraction as a powerful tool for quantification of ethyl carbamate in fortified wines. The case study of Madeira wine

An analytical methodology based on headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC-ToFMS) was developed for the identification and quantification of the toxic contaminant ethyl carbamate (EC) directly in fortified wines. The method performance was assessed for dry/medium dry and sweet/medium sweet model wines, and for quantification purposes, calibration plots were performed for both matrices using the ion extraction chromatography (IEC) mode (m/z 62). Good linearity was obtained with a regression coefficient (r(2)) higher than 0.981. A good precision was attained (R.S.D. <20%) and low detection limits (LOD) were achieved for dry (4.31 microg/L) and sweet (2.75 microg/L) model wines. The quantification limits (LOQ) and recovery for dry wines were 14.38 microg/L and 88.6%, whereas for sweet wines were 9.16 microg/L and 99.4%, respectively. The higher performance was attained with sweet model wine, as increasing of glucose content improves the volatile compound in headspace, and a better linearity, recovery and precision were achieved. The analytical methodology was applied to analyse 20 fortified Madeira wines including different types of wine (dry, medium dry, sweet, and medium sweet) obtained from several harvests in Madeira Island (Portugal). The EC levels ranged from 54.1 microg/L (medium dry) to 162.5 microg/L (medium sweet).

Effect of thermal treatment on physicochemical composition and sensory qualities, including ‘foxy’ methyl anthranilate of interspecific variety Golden Muscat (Vitis vinifera × Vitis labrusca) fortified wine made in Taiwan

AbstractBACKGROUND: The major defect of the interspecific variety Golden Muscat (Vitis vinifera × Vitis labrusca) is the inheritance of the specific foxy off‐flavours from the parent species Vitis labrusca. Thermal treatment is a traditional method of producing fortified wine that originated from the subtropical Portuguese island of Madeira. This technique was used to treat Golden Muscat fortified wine in order to investigate the effects of thermal treatment on the physicochemical composition and sensory qualities of the wine.RESULTS: The control wine had the lowest total phenol concentration, total flavonol concentration and total acidity. Increased colour intensity in all thermal‐treated samples was detected. The amount of foxy methyl anthranilate in the wine decreased significantly (P &lt; 0.05) after thermal treatment. Panellists indicated that, compared to the control wine, the thermal‐treated wines had higher flavour complexity, flavour intensity, persistence and balance. The control wine exhibited an unpleasant foxy flavour.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the thermal treatment technique can be used for the production of Golden Muscat fortified wines with desirable flavour. This technique could assist local winemakers to produce an interspecific variety Golden Muscat fortified wine of acceptable quality. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

Wine: Food of poets and scientists

The word ‘‘food’’ has many definitions, but it is reasonable togive preference to that provided by the Codex AlimentariusCommission: Food means any substance, whether processed,semi-processed or raw, which is intended for human consump-tion, and includes drinky’’Thus, wine is food, and a fair topic for the Journal of FoodComposition and Analysis, as would be beer, brandy, and otherbeverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.Throughout millennia, wine, more than most foods, hascaptured the imaginations of poets and philosophers. Morerecently, it has captured the imaginations of scientists and variousagri-food industries. The scientific community, and specificallythe food composition scientific community, has found wine to bea very worthy subject for investigation. From 1987 through 2006,this Journal averaged about two to three papers per year on wine.In 2007 and 2008, there will be 26 papers, which in two years isequivalent to the previous 19 years. It is worth noting that thisSpecial Issue did not result from a call for papers, but representsentirely normal, unsolicited submissions that simply reflect theexplosion in interest.The average wine consumer knows well the biodiversityof Vitis vinifera, and can recite varietal names and characteristicspecific to the grape genetic resources almost as easily asthe alphabet, Aglianco to Zibbibo. The self-same consumercan utter the vocabulary of organoleptic characteristics ofthe fermented juice, from the texture of the tannins to thelevels of sweetness or acidity, with as much confidence as, andmore panache than, a sensory physiologist. And the complexchemistry of wine composition is familiar to wine consumers,who can wax lyrical about resveratrol and anthocyanins. No otherfood has contributed to mainstreaming the appreciation ofagro-biodiversity, sensory sciences, and even food chemistry, asmuch as wine.With the overwhelming conflicts and contradictions related tofoods and food components, and diets and dietary patterns, wineprovides some solace, albeit not without its own contractions inmost risk:benefit analyses. Perhaps this is another reason for thefascination it holds, but this would be a topic for a differentscientific discipline. Ours is fascinating enough.This Special Issue contains a treasure trove of excitinginformation: some new and solid, some preliminary and worthyof further study, and one critical review.The geographic area covered is surprising, for in addition topapers on familiar wine regions such as Spain’s Galicia (Feijo´oet al., 2008) and Castilla-La Mancha (Izquierdo Can˜as et al.,2008a,b), and Portugal (Bravo et al., 2008 ;Canas et al., 2008Oliveira et al., 2008), there are papers from Japan (Poudel et al.,2008) and the destined-to-be-famous new wine appellation ofChangli County, China (Tao et al., 2008). Filling the middlegeographic area in terms of familiarity are Greece (Roussis et al.,2008) and the Canary Islands (Cullere´ et al., 2008).Both familiar and unfamiliar grape varieties are covered in thisSpecial Issue. At the familiar end are Bordeaux’s iconic CabernetSauvignon, expatriated to China (Tao et al., 2008), Spain’semblematic white variety, Albarin˜o(Feijo´o et al., 2008), and itsmost famous red, Tempranillo (Izquierdo Can˜as et al., 2008a,b),and the ubiquitous Muscatel which finds a wonderful expressionin the fortified wines of the Setu´bal region of Portugal (Bravoet al., 2008). Unfamiliar grapes investigated include some EastAsian wild species and hybrids (Poudel et al., 2008); as non-vinifera species these would not be permitted in winemaking inmany countries, yet they have genetic traits that may be highlydesirable in breeding programmes.Notwithstanding the interesting regions, grape varieties andwine styles, the very point of the Special Issue is composition andanalysis, and herein lies the excitement. Naturally, resveratrol isshowcased in many of the articles, for method (Bravo et al., 2008)and as the major analyte (Feijo´o et al., 2008; Iacopini et al., 2008).Several other papers measure and report on an array ofphytochemicals with potent bioactivities, including total phenols,

Lanxess refinances new plant with issue rights

Wine is one of the oldest known beverages, tracing its antiquity to at least 5000 BC, known to have been prepared by the Assyrians by 3500 BC. It is also mentioned in the Rigveda. It has always been considered as a safe and healthy drink, and a therapeutic agent having medicinal power (antioxidant and antimicrobial activity), enhancer of longevity, and reducer of cardiovascular diseases and of type 2 diabetes. Wines are made from complete or partial alcoholic fermentation of grapes or any other fruit, like apples, plums, peaches, pears, berries, cherries, currants, or apricots. These may be classified broadly according to color as red, rosé (pink), or white or can be differentiated as table, sparkling, or fortified wines based on alcohol or carbon dioxide content. The alcohol content of table wine is generally 10–11%, cider and perry 2–8%, and fortified wines or dessert wines 16–23%. Fortified wines are of three types, i.e., sherry, port, and aromatic wines. Fortified wines with additional flavoring are called aromatic wines, for example, vermouth. Sparkling wines are often classified by the method used to achieve their high carbon dioxide content. Compared to the quantity of grape wines produced and consumed in the world, the amount of wine produced from nongrape fruits is insignificant except for cider and perry, which are produced and consumed in significant amounts throughout the world. Plum wines are quite popular in many countries. The production of any wine basically involves fermentation with wine yeast, especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus, although other microorganisms like wild yeast and acetic acid bacteria are also involved either in the production of wine or in the inhibition of fermentation or spoilage of wine during production, maturation, and storage. In general, to produce red wine, the fermentation is conducted on the skin of colored grapes, whereas for white wine the fermentation of skin, pomace, and free juice of white grape varieties is carried out. The fermentation of white grapes is generally conducted at low temperatures of 15–20°C, whereas that of red wine is done at 20–25°C. Sherry is basically a base wine fortified with brandy fermented with flor yeast. In the preparation of sparkling wine, secondary fermentation of base wines is carried out either in bottles or in tanks, whereas fortified wines, like vermouth, make use of spices and herbal extracts. In preparation of cider either natural fermentation or inoculated fermentation is carried out with an optimum level of initial sugar concentration using specific apple varieties so as to produce a low-alcohol beverage. Modern consumption of wine is associated with lower mortality from cardiovascular diseases.

The role of acetaldehyde outside ethanol metabolism in the carcinogenicity of alcoholic beverages: Evidence from a large chemical survey

Acetaldehyde is a volatile compound naturally found in alcoholic beverages, and it is regarded as possibly being carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B). Acetaldehyde formed during ethanol metabolism is generally considered as a source of carcinogenicity in alcoholic beverages. However, no systematic data is available about its occurrence in alcoholic beverages and the carcinogenic potential of human exposure to this directly ingested form of acetaldehyde outside ethanol metabolism. In this study, we have analysed and evaluated a large sample collective of different alcoholic beverages ( n = 1555). Beer (9 ± 7 mg/l, range 0–63 mg/l) had significantly lower acetaldehyde contents than wine (34 ± 34 mg/l, range 0–211 mg/l), or spirits (66 ± 101 mg/l, range 0–1159 mg/l). The highest acetaldehyde concentrations were generally found in fortified wines (118 ± 120 mg/l, range 12–800 mg/l). Assuming an equal distribution between the beverage and saliva, the residual acetaldehyde concentrations in the saliva after swallowing could be on average 195 μM for beer, 734 μM for wine, 1387 μM for spirits, or 2417 μM for fortified wine, which are above levels previously regarded as potentially carcinogenic. Further research is needed to confirm the carcinogenic potential of directly ingested acetaldehyde. Until then, some possible preliminary interventions include the reduction of acetaldehyde in the beverages by improvement in production technology or the use of acetaldehyde binding additives. A re-evaluation of the ‘generally recognized as safe’ status of acetaldehyde is also required, which does not appear to be in agreement with its toxicity and carcinogenicity.